Equipment Which light watt to get?

Wattage was important back in the days of incandescent lighting.

Now that any light you will want is an LED array wattage is often not
even specified.

The choice really is whether to use constant lights or flash.
Either will serve you well. I personally prefer constant light because I
can see my lighting ratios before taking the photo.

With dolls you can work with the lights in fairly close so you don't
need really bright lights. I personally use an LED light panel which
is about the size of my iPad. They cost about $150/ea and I have three.

 

I would probably not want to invest in incandescent equipment at this point! I have something similar to this ring light. It has brightness and temperature adjustment knobs, so it's very flexible.
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Wireless-3200K-5500K-Ringlight-Vlogging/dp/B0822R6XK7/

 

I would go for led lights.
When you have chosen one lamp, get all the lamps from the same company, if you have one lamp from here and one from there, the tone/colour of the light might vary. You might not see it, but your camera will. If you get all your lamps from the same company/range they will have the same colour.
Try to get light sources that are close to neutral daylight 5500K. The led lights are measured in Kelvin. The lower the number the more red/yellow, the higher the number, more blue.
I would try to get hold of lamps that does not have half yellow and half white leds to adjust the colour, but instead go for white daylight leds and gel filters. This is just my preference, I might be old and set in my ways, but I think I get more light from my lamps this way.
Make sure you get lamps that can stay on for a long time without getting hot. The led lights usually do not get hot, but the batteries for the lamp might.
I use four lamps for my studio setup. One to light the background, one frontal light and two sidelights.
When looking for lamps you might also consider if you need soft boxes, barn doors, filters, reflectors, umbrellas, a snoot or any other light modifiers.
Also take into account how you want to mount the lamps, tripod, table clamp, roof or wall mount. And of course also the size. Another thing to keep in mind is if you want your setup to be portable so you are able to take it on location and then you will need batteries (out in nature for instance).
When I got new lamps for my studio two years ago, I had three different types of lamps on trial before I took the final choice. I know I was fortunate to be able to do this, I have the most amazing people at my local photo store.
I highly recommend that you go check the lamps out in person. Touch them, try them out, see if they will do what you need.
And finally, ask questions at the store, they should be more updated on the latest and newest in led lamps and be able to give you some good advice.
Good luck.

 

While ring lights have their place they're pretty much one trick ponies
and portraiture is not that trick.
For portraits, two lights are required, a main light and a fill light.

http://www.photosbytom.net/PDF/Doll_Portraiture.pdf

 

I think you would be better off with two daylight led light panels and some coloured filters to slap on top if you want to change the colour of the light. Two led panels will be more versatile than one panel and a ring light. A ring light is really more of a specialized item.

 

I absolutely agree!
I use my panels routinely (I have 3); my ring light rarely.

 

Don't forget stands for the lights.
You can get sets containing 2 lights and stands at a bit of a discount from all purchased separately.
You can get panels that support variable color.

Here is an example. (not a recommendation)

https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Packs...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

Mine are about the size of my iPad, call them 10" corner to corner.
I believe they have 500+ LEDs. Regrettably that specific light is no
longer produced nor does that company have a similar product today.

If I were to buy a light today, I'd seriously consider this one
https://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Upgra...6125&sprefix=LED+light+panel+,aps,198&sr=8-13

It can be mounted vertically (portrait mode) which is uncommon.
Most of these lights are intended for video use which is landscape
mode by definition. Many do not allow mounting for portrait orientation.

 

At home my lamps are from Elgato. Key light and the smaller key light air. I wanted lights that are good for both video and photography. These are slim, unobtrusive, look nice and fit into a smaller space which is a boon to me as my workroom serves many purposes. I also found them very handy as work light during the winter months.

I also have a really small Litra Pro lamp for outdoors. It lives in my photo bag, fits in my hand, is waterproof, rechargable, lasts for quite a while, ultra bright, dimmable and I have some filters and a softbox for it. It has been very useful an an extra little pop of light. And it is fun. More of a toy really.

In the photo studio we have blitz/flash lamps from Elinchrom. These are not led lamps, and are of an older make, they do the job, but are way too bulky unless you actually work in a really big space. Definitively an overkill for most doll photos.